Consider Tim Wakefield safe, as Boston Red Sox drop 7

Associated PressRich Hill, right, formerly of the Orioles, was one of seven players optioned or reassigned by the Red Sox as roster decisions become clearer.

FORT MYERS, Fla. The Wake Watch can be declared over. The Boston Red Sox roster is not set, but Tim Wakefield, the 44-year-old knuckleballer, looks safe.

Pitchers Scott Atchison and Michael Bowden, and outfielder Ryan Kalish were optioned to Pawtucket. Right pitcher Brandon Duckworth and lefties Randy Williams, Andrew Miller and Rich Hill were reassigned to the minor league camp.

All seven are expected to wind up in Pawtucket. Duckworth, a right-hander with major league experience with three teams, will pitch two innings Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota Monday, but he knows he will start the season in Triple A.

Left-handed pitcher Dennys Reyes' opt-out clause was extended from Friday to Saturday. The Red Sox will have to make a decision on him by then.

Manager Terry Francona's comments on Wakefield indicates his focus was on how to use the knuckleballer. That made it clear the veteran is in the plans.

"He does everything. The hardest thing is for me to find how to best use him and get the most out of him,'' Francona said.

The trickiest part comes when the bullpen is going well, Francona said. That presents the challenge of inserting Wakefield's unique style into a mix of conventional pitchers.

"You have the chance of a passed ball or a stolen base. But Tim can definitely help us win,'' Francona said.

"It's not about (needing) courage to use him. Just use him.''

Two spots are open. The five assured places go to Jonathan Papelbon, Daniel Bard, Dan Wheeler, Bobby Jenks and Wakefield.

One of the final two, and possibly both, will go to a left-hander. Reyes and Hideki Okajima are the last two contending lefties.

If both make it, righties Matt Albers and Alfredo Aceves are out. If only one lefty comes north, there is room for either Aceves or Albers.

Albers is out of minor league options, which could be a factor.

It didn't help Atchison, who pitched for the Red Sox year. He had a 6.48 spring ERA.

By using the options, the Red Sox essentially cut no one. The players who don't make the Opening Day roster are only a phone call and short ride from Pawtucket away as replacements.

Francona said Miller, 25, totally understood. The left-hander is eager to get into his regimen at Triple A, hoping to correct control problems that have interfered with a career which remains promising.

Hill is the 2011 example of how Grapefruit League stats don't matter. His ERA in 8 2/3 innings was 0.00.

Last year, the Red Sox dropped Brian Shouse, a lefty specialist who had a 0.96 spring ERA. But Hill is younger than Shouse and considered to have the potential for more versatility, which means he could be called up later.

He is still emerging as a left-hander the Red Sox can trust against right-handed hitters. Hill has also adopted a full-time sidearm motion this year, and the club is convinced he could use more time to hone it.

"There is a lot to like with him. He hit 92 on the radar gun the other day. That's plenty, especially from down there (sidearm),'' Francona said.

Francona said Jon Lester will stay back at camp and pitch at the minor league complex Sunday. That will give Duckworth a start in Sarasota against the Orioles.

Even Williams, a 35-year-old journeyman lefty with big league experience, was a victim of numbers, not sloppy pitching.

"He came into camp (almost anonymously) but he has done nothing to make us think he can't help this team win games,'' Francona said.

Jason Varitek will stay back to catch Lester. Kevin Youkilis will skip Monday's game against Toronto in Dunedin, choosing instead to play in a minor league game where he can bat once an inning in the more casual setting if he chooses.

Handymen Nate Spears and Drew Sutton have been told they will not make the roster. They will stay with the team through its preseason schedule, including a March 30 game against Houston, to provide more bodies and get some playing time.

Both have played well in camp and expect to start in Pawtucket.

Felix Doubront is also likely to start the year in the Pawsox rotation. The left-hander has just begun to pitch again after elbow problems.

Doubront will pitch Tuesday, Francona said. The Red Sox play Tampa Bay in their final game in Florida, and the last game they will play at City of Palms Park before moving to a new Fort Myers stadium in 2012.